Study by Landenberg G et al. on myocardial dysfunction in 105 severe sepsis and septic shock patients by repeated echocardiograms and concurrent serum inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and cardiac biomarkers [high-sensitivity troponin-T and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)] measuring showed that none of the measured inflammatory cytokines correlates with systolic or diastolic myocardial dysfunction in this group of patients. The gene discussed is NPPB; the disease is Sepsis.